The LongAwaited Return
by Rani07
Summary: A shinxran late valentine's day special. Tiny lime at the end of the story! Hope you enjoy it!


Hi everyone!!! I know I know I _know _that it's 5 days AFTER Valentine's Day, but this website would not let me post earlier! T-T

Still! I hope you enjoy this piece anyways... it is my very first one, and it was written in a day and a half... OoU.. (Not a very good formula for a good fanfic.. xDDD) But I still think you'll enjoy it!! Oh, and before I forget, beware of lime at the.. well, sort of end of this story. It is not a lemon, just a lime, so no need to worry... Now ladies and gentlemen, please get comfortable, sit back and enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: Please... before you sue me, just look at the name of this website... _fan_fiction... yup, sadly I'm just a poor fan.. but I tell you, if I'd been Aoyama-sama, Meitantei Conan would've reached its ending a LOOONG time ago!! ¬¬U

* * *

It was a bright and sunny morning, although the temperature was still very cold. A young man's azure eyes slowly opened as a few sun beams made their way inside his room. The coldness of the day tempting him to go back to sleep, but as soon as he remembered the events of the previous night, a grin made its way to his face, and his eyes opened up wide, pure excitement visible in them. 

Kudo Shinichi had finished his seemingly "impossible" case. The organization, after a long week's worth of constant work, had finally been captured! Even though he had received a few gunshots, several bruises, and was even hospitalized for a short while for the most severe wounds, Shinichi couldn't have felt happier this day. He was finally going to return to his normal life! Kudo Shinichi's life! He had even taken the pill to recover his teenage body the previous night, after they had found the prototype of the antidote inside the Organization's headquarters.

'Heh... this definitely can't get any better!' thought Shinichi with obvious satisfaction.

He turned around to look at the clock on his nightstand. 7:40am. It looked like he wouldn't be able to make it on time to his first class, but still, better late than never.

He slowly got out of bed, with curious anticipation for the look on Ran's face when she'd see him. Now that he really thought about it, it certainly had been a long time since they had gotten together. It was February already for god's sake! This whole ordeal had taken more than a year... In other words, they hadn't really spent time together for a an entire year... Well, sure, she had gotten to see him for a day a couple of months ago, but they hadn't had enough time to really be together. And honestly, Shin'ichi could hardly wait to see her again.

* * *

The clock showed the time as 7:40am inside the Mouri Detective Agency. Mouri Ran was already prepared to head towards her school, but as she was about to step out of the agency, oddly enough, she saw her father sitting on a chair glancing at some papers that were placed in front of him. 

"Otousan! I didn't know you were awake..."

"Megure-keibu called me this morning. Apparently a specially difficult case has popped up and called to ask for my help! Because, who else could better accomplish this difficult task than, of course, the Great Detective Mouri Kogoro!!" and as he said this, the man started to laugh histerically, as if some creature had suddenly posessed him.

"Ehhh... well, I'm leaving tousan. Oh! Actually, before I forget, I left your valentine's chocolate on the table dad, happy valentine's day! And good luck with your case!" told Ran as she was stepping out.

"Oh thanks Ran, and by the way, I'm not returning until late tonight! I actually might not return until tomorrow morning, I'm not sure, this case is located a little far from here... but anyways, make sure you don't stay up until too late" responded her father as he was settling his things, preparing to also leave the house.

"Oh ok, I won't. Bye tousan!"

Ran closed the door behind her and started to walk towards her school, a new wave of loneliness suddenly hitting her. It was amazing how her mood would change so much nowadays. Maybe it was because Conan-kun wasn't there to walk to school with her, since he had spent the last nights at the professor's house, but maybe it was something else altogether. Thoughts of her "missing" friend ran through her mind. When was he finally going to return? Would he ever return at all? Lately, she had been getting more and more frustrated on the matter. It was just so exasperating! She hadn't seen him in months already! And meanwhile, people were starting to tell her that she was crazy for waiting for so long, that she should find a better man, that he didn't deserve her, etc, etc... Those comments just maddened her so much, and at the same time, saddened her to no end. Didn't they know how painful it was to hear those things? She loved the stupid detective geek! Damn, she had even made chocolate for him on this Valentine's Day, with Shinichi's name on it and everything... But now how in the world was she going to forget Kudo Shinichi if she still did those things for him?!

Ran suddenly gave a weak smile. Just who was she trying to fool? She knew, from the bottom of her heart, that it was impossible for her to forget the young boy who she befriended more than a decade ago, or the child whom she had played and grown up with; but most of all, the young man whom she had madly fallen in love with.

Moments after this last thought, Ran had suddenly realized that she was already in front of her school. She quickly looked at her watch. 7:51. Relieved that she still had some minutes before classes began, she made her way towards her locker, changing her shoes before finally going to her classroom.

* * *

In the hallways of Teitan High, the figure of a long time disappeared student could be seen walking confidently towards his classroom. Kudo Shinichi was still surprised by the long time that he had to spend filling out registration forms, in addition to tests, in the main office. Sure, it was somehow to be expected. He was, afterall, gone for a whole year. But signing different papers for an hour and a half to go into the 12th grade, and later taking a test for an hour! It had been a little too excessive on his opinion. 

A few moments later, Shinichi was already at the door of his classroom. With renewed anticipation, he tried to open the door, only realizing that it was locked from the inside. So instead, he knocked on it a few times and waited for what seemed to him like a small eternity, for what in reality, had actually been a couple of seconds.

* * *

For once in a seemingly long time, the class of Teitan 12B was very greatful for the start of their new English lesson. The outgoing Jodie-sensei was still their teacher, to the relief and excitement of the students. 

"Alright class, since most of you have gotten such nice scores on the last test, we will just have a review on everything that we have learned so far!" announced Jodie with much enthusiasm.

The whole class started to groan in preocupation, apparentely nobody seemed to really remember much of their lessons.

"Ohhh c'mon!" she responded in English "I won't be so bad on you! C'mon, let's just start with one of the lessons that I just know you loved, and we'll continue from there!"

Suddenly, a few knocks were heard on the door.

"Kojima-san, could you open the door for me?" asked Jodie.

Kojima Daisuke walked towards the door and unlocked it, slowly opening it for the person behind it.

What he saw made his eyes open up like saucers, and left his mouth hanging wide.

"KUDO!?!?"

"Long time no see" responded Shinichi simply, a grin already formed on his face. Seeing that Daisuke wasn't about to move any time soon, he quickly walked around him, making his way towards his seat.

The whole class was speechless for the first four seconds, and as soon as Shinichi was already sitting down beside Ran, the guys started to cheer and talk to Shinichi, while the girls were continuously squealing in delight.

"Kudo! You're finally back man!"

"Yeah, what took you so long?"

"About time you know, I think Mouri-san was going insane already!"

"Yeah! She waited for you for all of this time, and didn't even going out with anyone else... That's love, I tell you!"

"That's not true..!! I was just worried about when you would come back Shinichi, that's all!" Quickly responded Ran, trying to distract Shinichi from the snickering and knowing looks that the guys were giving her, although a deep blush was still an obvious sign of her embarassment.

A slightly blushing Shinichi though, didn't pay too much attention to his classmates' comments. He turned his head to look at Ran, and simply gave her a warm smile, making her forget all about the previous conversation.

"Alright class, calm down already" said Jodie, trying to stabilize the current "emotional chaos" that was taking place in her classroom. A sweat drop formed on her head, just thinking how popular Kudo Shinichi was becoming. Surely, after the world would find out about the Black Organization's fall, and Kudo Shinichi's important role on the operation, his fans would just come in swarming from all places.(1) 'Oh geez... poor kid, he will never be left alone after that!' thought Jodie, and a smile began to reach her face as an image formed in her mind. Who would've thought that picturing cool-guy running away from an obsessive mob of fans could be so funny!

The classroom began to calm down, and soon after Jodie was able to start the review.

* * *

All of the students quickly grabbed their money and food as the bell rang. Lunch time had finally arrived, and they would be able to relax for a little while. 

Shinichi and Ran weren't exceptions. Ran quickly grabbed her lunch, along with another box she was careful not to show to Shinichi yet. Turning around, she looked at her friend who was already waiting for her.

"Ready, Ran?" asked Shinichi.

"Yup! Let's go." Enthusiasm began to fill her insides. Who would've guessed that after such a morning filled with lovesick thoughts, she would feel completely happy _and_ reunite with her best friend?

Now, she just prayed for the gods to have at least _some_ pity on her, and let Shinichi stay for good. Even if he didn't feel the same way she felt about him, she wanted him to stay. His redeparture would definitely be something impossible for Ran to take.

Meanwhile, Shinichi was resuming his morning's thoughts... The antidote that he had taken was for sure the permanent one. He no longer had to worry about turning back into Conan! He was back in Kudo Shinichi's body, and now that he had reunited with Ran, he would never miss the oportunity to further their relationship.

The both of them walked over to the main building where they were supposed to eat, and soon after entered the cafeteria.

Ran could clearly remember how obsessive Shinichi's fans were. They would always make a lot of noise and follow him as much as they could (thank goodness they didn't follow him to his home all of the time!), and even though it was pretty bothersome for her, she never really minded too much. Shinichi was afterall, an extremely intelligent and handsome young man, but this time, it had been too much.

As soon as they had sat down on a table, what seemed to Ran to be hundreds of screaming and crying girls, came over to their table with chocolates for lovers, flowers, love letters, valentine's cards, and even photographs of Shinichi for him to sign. Yup, _definitely_ too much. Ran could notice that even Shinichi was starting to panic.

"Kudo-senpai!!!!!!!!!"

"I love you sooo much Kudo-san!!"

"Please accept my chocolate kudo shinichi-kun!"

"Kudo-senpai!!!!"

"Kudo-kun I can't believe you're finally back! Then afterall, you did come back for me!!"

Shinichi couldn't handle it anymore. After so much shoving of flowers and chocolates on his face, he was left without knowing how to control the screaming fans, so he did the first thing that came to mind.

Grabbing Ran's hand and snatching her things with his free hand, they began to run towards the nearest exit, which happened to lead towards the school fields. They ran nonstop until they were sure that the mob of girls wouldn't follow them anymore. Sitting down beneath a large tree, Shinichi and Ran lay on the grass, trying to stabilize their breathing.

"Sorry about, huff, that, huff, Ran..." said Shinichi with an apologetic smile.

"Heh...it's alright..." responded Ran, with a small smile remembering her and Shinichi's numerous escapades from fangirls in the past.

Suddenly noticing that her friend didn't have anything in his hands, Ran asked him "Where's your lunch?"

His expression suddenly turning into a frown, he responded "Well, I woke up late this morning.. I was kind of rushing through things..."

"And forgot all about it, like you usually do..." finished Ran with a knowing smile. "It's ok, I have more food than what I'd like to eat, so we can share it if you'd like" proposed Ran, with a slight blush already on her cheeks. How could the simple action of sharing food with him make her so nervous?

"Are you sure?" he asked, but with a new shine in his eyes.

"Yeah!" 'Oh man, not more blushing!' thought Ran nervously.

The both of them began to eat peacefully, talking about school, cases that Ran's dad had solved ((A/N: yeah right he did! ¬¬U)), karate, and a little Holmes too. Things really seemed to be going perfectly for them.

Although Ran was still thinking about Shinichi's long disappearance. His infamous case... but she felt that if he hadn't mentioned it yet, then he mustn't be willing to tell her about the case he was so involved in... at least, not yet. So she decided not to ask for the time being, nevertheless, she was slightly worried of what could've kept him away for so long.

Shinichi kept on thinking about the last time that they had been together. When he and Ran had gone to the Beika Center Building's Rooftop Restaurant. He really wanted to take her there once again; reattempt to ask her the famous question. Willing to break the silence they had been involved in, Shinichi opened his lips to ask her out once again, but Ran beat him to it.

"Shinichi... you're not doing anything today, afterschool, right?" she asked.

"Uh, no... why?" he asked her with obvious curiosity.

"Well.. I was just, thinking... you know, we haven't been together for so long... I thought it would be nice for the two of us to.. ughh.. well, s-spend some t-time t-toge..ther... afterschool..." said Ran. By now, her cheeks had already acquired a very attractive crimson color. Shinichi kept looking at her like in some sort of trance, admiring her blue orbs, which now had a greater shine than usual, and her flaming cheeks. He kept thinking over and over again how lucky he was to have ever met such a beautiful creature, all the while never quite noticing how long he had just kept silent, staring at her.

"Shi..Shinichi? Are you okay?" asked Ran, bringing him back to reality. Her face wasn't as blushed as before, and she had a worried expression. She still looked tremendously attractive. Shinichi began to flush, 'Oh no! Not again with the thoughts! God Kudo.. get a grip! And she's still waiting for a reply, you know!' said a voice in his head.

"Oh! Uhh.. hehe, ughm, yeah! I'm fine. Don't worry!" Shinichi nervously stammered. 'Man... I shouldn't get distracted like that..'

Ran still looked a little unsure about his answer, but decided to leave it aside. "So.. do you think we, m-maybe could get together?"

"Oh! Yeah, of course. You can come over to my house if you want, and, uh.. well, if you'd like, we could go out to eat or something..." he told her, somewhat glad that he had come up with a way to "ask her out".

"Great! That sounds wonderful!" Ran's face had once again changed into one of pure joy. It was amazing how something as simple as a get-together with her "friend" could make her so happy. But suddenly, she remembered the box that she had so carefully placed behind her so Shinichi wouldn't see it. A cold rush managed to creep all the way from the bottom to the top of her spine, as well as a sudden weight and tingling in her stomach, leaving her with the sensation that butterflies were probably having a party in her belly.

"Ran... are you alright? You look worried" asked Shinichi, noticing that something was bothering his friend.

Ran was still silent, just looking at Shinichi. 'Maybe it's already time to tell him... but what if he says no? What if he tells me that he already has someone..? That... that he doesn't l-lo..'

Suddenly the bell interrupted her thoughts. Their lunch break was over.

"Ran?"

Shinichi was still waiting for Ran to give any response. Concern towards his friend becoming more and more evident with every passing second.

"I'm sorry Shinichi! I just... blanked out, I guess. I'm ok, don't worry!" said Ran, deciding to give the box to Shinichi later. She still gave her friend a reassuring smile, although she continued to be worried for what he might respond after her confession.

"Are you sure? You're still pale, Ran"

"I'm sure! Don't worry about me, really! Now c'mon, we should get back to class before the bell rings again."

They began to walk towards their classroom, the noise from all of the students' conversations becoming more and more clear with every step.

"So, we're going together to your house afterschool?" asked Ran.

"Yeah.. I even think you left some clothes from some sleepovers that we've had, so you don't have to worry about stopping by your house for a change of clothing, in case we do decide to eat somewhere..." explained Shinichi.

Then the both of them, each in their own little world imagining what their afternoon would be like, stepped inside their classroom.

* * *

It was a beautiful afternoon. The air was pretty cold, but the sun was still bright and continued to shine its strong warm rays towards the people of Beika. It definitely was a beautiful winter day. 

Shinichi and Ran were walking on the street, glad that the school day was finally over, and barely able to constrain themselves from making a dash towards Shinichi's warm home. The day was getting colder by the minute, and their bodies were beginning to feel it.

Finally, after some minutes of walking, they arrived at the Kudo mansion.

Shinichi quickly opened the gate for the two of them to enter, and hurried to unlock the door to his house. Letting Ran in first, as soon as he entered the house, he was thankful that he had left the heater on. His home was probably 10 degrees warmer than the outside weather.

"Ahh.. it sure is nicer in here!" commented Ran while she took her shoes off, later putting on some slippers that were in a cabinet.

"I'm still freezing though..I'll go to the kitchen and make something to drink... what would you like Ran? Tea? Coffee, hot chocolate, vodka, whiskey?" asked Shinichi while he took off his coat and shoes.

Ran giggled, "No thank you. I'll just have some tea."

"Alright, make yourself comfortable! I'll just go and make it, and be right back, ok?" said Shinichi with a smile, already heading towards the kitchen.

Ran couldn't possibly be happier. It seemed Shinichi was really back for good! She just hoped her mind wasn't betraying her again though, making her believe he had returned, just to later have her heart shatter to a million pieces when she'd be informed of his departure. This time, she truly believed that if he left again, she'd never be able to take it. Neither her heart, mind, nor soul. Hope that he would stay with her was the only thing she now had left; hope and her Shinichi.

Ran began to walk up the stairs of the Kudo mansion, making her way through the vast halls, and finally reaching her destination. Shinichi's room. She carefully opened up the door, as if suddenly Shinichi would pop up and reprimand her for entering. She really didn't mean any harm. She just hadn't gotten to enter into that room for so long, and.. well, she had to be honest. She loved the feelings that ran inside of her everytime she would come in. Just the fragrance of that particular room, that special scent, _Shinichi's_ scent! It would drive her insane for hours, as well as the clothes, ocassionally pajamas, that lay on his bed; or even the way the sun's rays made their way inside his room! Shoot, she loved _everything_ about that bedroom. It made her feel like she was surrounded by Shinichi, embraced by his presence, and scent, and feel...

Suddenly noticing that 10 minutes had already gone by, and Shinichi wasn't even back yet, Ran began to worry. She walked out of Shinichi's room (not very willingly to leave yet, but she did have to find him), and walked down the stairs towards the vestibule, to later head towards the kitchen. To her surprise, and dislike, she realized that he wasn't in the kitchen, nor in the living room, as a matter of fact. Worry began to creep in her insides, but she quickly brushed it off, thinking he may be somewhere else in the house, perhaps looking for her too.

Ran spent an entire 20 minutes ((A/N: well, the house IS pretty big you know... óoU )) looking for Shinichi in absolutely every room of the house, but he was _nowhere_ to be found... Horror was growing stronger and stronger, along with the desperation and terror that was forming in her heart. She was scared. She was absolutely terrified of what was happening, what she was beginning to understand of the situation. Her heart was crumbling inside of her, but she still kept silent, her pale face, fearing eyes, and sweaty hands being the only evidence of the turmoil that was starting to take place inside of her. It already seemed that her heart was understanding, but her mind wasn't too able to really make anything out of the situation. So she decided to go back to his room, thinking, hoping that maybe, just maybe he would be there, telling her with his handsome face that she was being silly as usual...

She closed her eyes firmly as she opened the door to his room, afraid that if she opened them, he wouldn't be there at all.

Once the door was fully opened, she began to unlid her eyes, but as soon as she did, she regretted ever opening them again... Hot tears began to form and threaten to spill. He wasn't there. He wasn't there! Not on his bed, not behind the door, not behind some stupid curtain, nor in his closet. Nothing! Her breathing was becoming harsher, she could barely see from the painful tears that were beginning to run down her face. She was so desperate as to find him, she even looked underneath the bed to see if he might be playing some joke on her, but no... he was nowhere to be found. Ran suddenly felt her body heat up, sweat covering not only her palms, but behind her whole back too, despite the coldness of the weather. Her mind was racing with thoughts, until a horrible one reached her. Her heart was crying for it begged for it to not be true, but the situation made this one thought so possible, so real, so truthful...

'Shinichi has left...'

As soon as her mind told her this, her heart began to mourn, cry all of its life out. Everything, all of it... it made so much sense...

Ran felt her heartbeat speed up, and her legs had suddenly become weak. She fell right on Shinichi's bed as a strong headache made its way inside of her, making her dizzy. A huge bubble of feelings had suddenly formed, all the way from her stomach, to her throat, making it hard for her to swallow. She felt horrible. Her ears, heart, stomach, and head hurt to no end, but before she realized it, a huge sob coming directly from her chest, made its way to her mouth. Tears were already forming a cascade on her cheeks, distress extremely visible on her face and body. She couldn't take it any longer... Ran could not take it any longer...

"SHINICHIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Horrible and painful sobs were heard all throughout the house, Ran's emotions were beginning to go completely out of control. Her chest hurt so much, she could barely breathe.

"RAN!!!"

As soon as she heard this, her body turned around completely towards the voice she thought she heard. She hoped that her mind was NOT playing anymore dirty tricks on her, and just as the thought had reached her, it dissappeared.

There he was, Shinichi standing on the door with a look of pure concern and worry on his face.

As soon as she saw him, new tears of relief fell from her eyes as she ran towards him. Forgetting everything about pride or shyness, she wrapped her arms around his stomach and tightly embraced him, as if afraid that he would disappear into thin air in any moment. Shinichi, after a few moments of pure confusion, only now began to realize just what exactly had happened.

After he had gone to the kitchen, he had realized that due to the long time he hadn't been living in his house, there was absolutely nothing to drink, or any food as a matter of fact, to offer. So he decided to quickly run off to the professor's house, and make something there. The problem was that he hadn't realized he had taken so long in actually finding the professor, asking him where everything was, preparing the food, and going back to his house. 'Damn it, I'm such an idiot! I should've known better than this... of course she's going to be so freaked out if I take so long! She probably thought that I had left her again...' Shinichi's expression turned into a very painful one, realizing how much he had hurt the beautiful girl in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her only more tightly, trying to soothe the pain in her wounded heart. Her cries were still ringing in his ears, and a horrified expression made its way to his face. Just remembering Ran's desperate and hurtful sobs made his heart skip a beat. It really scared him how big of an effect his "departure" had had on her. With just that thought, he had decided. He knew he would NEVER leave her again. Even if the stupid antidote didn't work anymore, and he'd suddenly transform back into Conan (something that terrified him and he just hoped would never occur!), he would even tell her that he was Conan, have her beat him down to a pulp if she desired, but would never make her go through the pain of thinking that he had _left_ her...

Ran started to calm down after a while, but still held onto him, needing Shinichi's warmth and reassurance. She rubbed her nose against his chest and hid her face in the crook of his neck, as if trying to dissappear into him. Shinichi smiled at this, holding her even closer as to make her worries completely wash away. They spent several moments, just standing, embracing eachother, as they had never really embraced before. But neither of them seemed to mind, not one bit. Still silent as to not disturb the sweet silence of the room, Shinichi unwrapped one of his arms from Ran's back and placed his fingers underneath her chin, making her look at his eyes. He gave her a small but loving smile, and kept on looking at her eyes, trying to take away even the smallest of uncertainties that could still be in her heart, and convince her that he was there for her, that everything was okay, and that everything was going to be okay.

Ran visibly calmed down, and now the only signs of her previous outburst were her red eyes, and her tear-stained and flushed cheeks. Her breathing and heartbeat were almost back to a normal rate, and she suddenly wasn't as dizzy anymore. She felt much better, but stil clinged onto him, simply needing the support for the moment.

"Are you okay, Ran?" whispered Shinichi, relieved that she at least seemed to feel a little better.

Afraid that she might begin to cry again if she opened her mouth to speak, she simply made a small movement of her head, making him understand that she was somewhat better than before.

Shinichi gave her a warm smile while he placed his hand on the back of her neck, bringing her head towards his own neck. He noticed that she stiffened for a moment, then later relaxed against his body and hugged him ever so closely. He placed his cheek on top of her hair, feeling its softness and fresh scent. He really couldn't think of a better place to be in than in his room with Ran, both of them embracing tightly.

Anyone who could've watched this scene, would've known right away that these two were much, much more than friends. Yet it was interesting, how neither of them hadn't yet realized how fast their relationship had and would really further in these few minutes...

"Thank you..." whispered Ran, her warm breath that played on his neck causing a shiver to run all over Shinichi's spine.

"Y-you're welcome, Ran..." stammered Shinichi, a hot blush already on his face.

Ran pulled her head back to look at Shinichi's face, a small smile on her lips. 'I have to tell him... I can't wait anymore' and before she could change her mind, or start thinking of any possible reaction from his part, she slowly unwrapped her arms from around his waist, all the while looking at his eyes. Although she didn't really want to, she slowly pushed herself a little away from him, so she could grab something that she had previously left on his bed. Turning away from Shinichi for just a couple of seconds, she held a box in front of her chest so as not to show it to him just yet. She felt her face heat up as blood began to rise to her cheeks. She _had_ to do this; she couldn't just back down now...

'Alright Ran... Just do it and hope for the best!' Decided, Ran turned around to face Shinichi once again.

Ran looked at his face, which at the moment, was one of pure confusion. Really, if she wouldn't have been so nervous, she would've laughed at his expression. Holding the box firmly against her chest, she stepped a little closer to him. Suddenly realizing that no possible coherent sentence would ever escape from her lips at the moment, she slowly extended her hands, which held a box in red wrapping, towards Shinichi. With fiery cheeks, she decided to somehow speak "W-will y-you accept it?"

Shinichi looked at the carefully wrapped box that Ran was holding in front of him. '... A gift? Why would she give me a present? Christmas is long time gone... and it's definitely not May' His eyes suddenly caught the calendar that was right behind her, and seconds later, realization hit him. 'February 14th... Of course! Valentine's Day! I had completely forgotten... So that's why those girls at school had been especially crazier than usual. Heh, and I call myself a detective?'

Shinichi then realized that Ran was still waiting for his reply, a look of worry on her eyes, although still blushing, still waiting... 'Still gorgeous' thought Shinichi, while he warmly smiled at her. Did she think he would not accept her chocolate? So as to not worry her any further, he began to extend _his_ own hands towards the box, all the while looking at her with flaming cheeks, which by now, matched her own blushing ones. His hands took hold of the red box, making contact with her own hands for a few seconds. He then moved the box towards himself, and slowly opened it, anxiousness killing him in the inside, for he wanted and needed to know just _what _type of chocolate she had given him, _friends' _chocolates, or _lovers'_ chocolates...

To say that Ran was nervous, was an incredibly HUGE understatement. She felt like crying from the anticipation and the worry... 'What if he didn't like her like that? What if he actually accepted the chocolates but didn't realize just what type of chocolates she had given him? Would she have to specify what kind they were? And what if he freaked out at her for giving him _lovers'_ chocolates??? Would he never forgive her???' A thousand what if's ran through her mind, her nervousness only rising to its climax and even her thoughts shutting down when Shinichi opened the box. Ran only looked at his eyes, trying to figure out what he might possibly be thinking. Surprise was the only visible emotion, but moments later, a thousand other feelings came to sight. He was now looking at her, and from the moment their eyes made contact, Ran was sure her heart skipped a beat.

Shinichi's pupils had dilated and now had a beautiful shine in them, giving him an even more attractive appearance; his cheeks were covered with a playful blush; and on his rosy lips was the most beautiful of all smiles that she had ever seen. Definitely, it was more than enough to leave Ran breathless.

Shinichi quickly took a bite from her chocolate; its exquisite flavor warming his insides instantly. With a heart-melting smile, he began to walk towards her. Suddenly embracing her tightly, while he still held onto her homemade chocolate with one hand, he placed his head between her shoulder and neck, hiding his nose in her hair.

"Yes... I accept it" said Shinichi in a low and masculine voice.

As soon as Ran heard this, a great sigh of relief (that she hadn't realized she had been holding) escaped her lips, only to fully relax against Shinichi's body, holding him as closely as she could. Her fingers ran through his dark hair, feeling its softness. For how long had she wanted to do this? Months? Years? She really did not know anymore... Her senses were being fully focused on Shinichi now, making thoughts something hard to come up with. Suddenly, to her disappointment, she felt his head pull away from her neck, but he quickly soothed the feeling as he stared deep into her eyes, only inches away from her face. Surprised, Ran noticed the hundreds of feelings that were going through Shinichi at that moment, which seemed to match _her_ own. She was sure. She knew that he, just like her, could not and _would_ not hold back any longer.

Shinichi began to close the distance between them, desperately wanting to feel the sensation of Ran's lips against his own. While she put the slightest pressure on his nape with her hand, she began to close her eyes and part her lips, sucking in a deep breath before both of their mouths made the first contact. The beginning of their very first kiss. A sweet, nervous, innocent kiss. But as the seconds went by, their lips were becoming more and more experienced, already wanting and desiring more affection, more intimacy. Shinichi's tongue brushed against Ran's lips, asking her for permission to enter. The touch initially shocked her, but slowly, she opened her mouth to let him in, wanting the experience as much as he did. His tongue made its way inside of her, wanting to feel and remember every part of her mouth. Ran moaned inside of his mouth, the feeling of his love being overwhelming. They needed to stop. They needed to stop right now, or Ran would never be able to hold herself back.

Shinichi's hand made its way inside her shirt, touching her bare back. The feeling of his hand felt like ice, and at the same time, like fire to Ran, making her back arch completely. He lowered her to the bed while he lay on his arms on top of her, so as to not make her feel all of his weight. Ran cupped his face, running her thumb over his parted lips. Desire began to run inside of her, the way he was looking at her, making her want him even more. He placed his hand on her hip, slowly making its way upward and under her shirt. His hand was massaging her ribs now, but suddenly stopped as a thought struck him. Ran looked at him nervously, wondering if she had done something wrong.

"R-Ran... I.." Shinichi couldn't come up with the right words to express himself. He was afraid... he hadn't told her about Conan yet. He couldn't be with her like this if she didn't know! He felt he would be taking advantage of her, and of course that was not what he intended at all!

He tried to somehow come up with the right words to tell her all of this without making her hate him. Well, at least not hate him too much.

"Shinichi? ... Is.. is something wrong?" asked Ran worriedly.

"Ran.. I really.. I really don't know how to tell you this... I've been..." then he stopped, swallowing the hard lump in his throat that all of his insecurity had formed. He had to do this though! Both for his and her sake... 'No more lies..' he told himself.

"You won't imagine how long I've waited in order to be with you, like this.. and now that we're together, you have made me the happiest man in the world. I really could not ask for anything else..."

Ran opened her mouth to speak, but Shinichi placed his fingertips on her lips and smiled at her, letting her know that he still had some things to say.

"You're the girl of my dreams, have always been, and wish to be with you for the rest of my life!" By now, Ran's eyes had widened completely. The powerful love that she held for him, wanting to come right out and express itself. But it seemed that he still wanted to continue, and his serious expression making it impossible for her to perform any immediate action. "But Ran... I feel that I cannot.. be with you, yet.. at least not the way I really want to.. because I have not told you yet something.. important..." Shinichi was really struggling wih words, trying to put the matter as delicately as possible, although it was proving to be difficult.

Ran continued to be silent, patiently waiting for him to elaborate his words. Seeing that his face had acquired a troubled expression, she caressed his chest with her hand, as in a sign of support, urging him to continue.

"All of this time... Ran, I.. I feel that you, out of all people.. have the most right to know the truth.. the truth that... I was... I was C-Conan.." then Shinichi grew silent. He really hadn't known just exactly _how_ he should've told her, but he did it. It had been done.. she now knew and had the ball in her court to deliver the final blow. Shinichi closed his eyes... he had never felt his heart beat so fast. The silence and anticipation were really killing him. But suddenly, he felt her wrap her arms around his head and carefully pull him into a hug. His face was now on top of her chest, and his eyes opened up wide, not quite understanding what exactly was going on.

"And are you back for good now..? Shinichi won't leave and little Conan appear again, right?" whispered Ran into his hair.

Shinichi pulled his head back so he could see her, his eyes still very wide. He could barely believe what he had heard... she was _forgiving_ him?

Looking at her glowing smile and shining eyes, he felt like crying. Why in the world did he meet such a wonderful girl? What could he have possibly done to deserve her loving eyes and forgiving smile?

"Yes... I'm finally back Ran" whispered Shinichi, his eyes shining with the tears and intense love that he held for her. "..If.. if you want... I can explain what happened"

"No..." interrupted Ran, " ..it's okay... we can talk about it later. But now that you're finally back Shinichi, I just want to be with you... let's.. just forget about it for now... ne?" whispered a blushing Ran while she made extreme eye contact with him. Her hand was caressing his cheek and neck, while her eyes kept staring into his with deep emotion.

Shinichi couldn't restrain himself anymore. He put his thumb on her chin, parting her lips as he lowered his head down to hers. Their lips began to caress eachother, doing so sweetly and carefully for the first seconds, until the passion that they held for eachother ignited like a flame. Their kiss, naturally becoming more passionate and heated, now involved both of their tongues. Meanwhile, Shinichi ran his hand up her bare stomach, placing his hand right on top of her breasts and stopping there, giving her time to object if she disapproved. But aside from a passionate groan that she made inside his mouth, there really had been no movement as to stop him from continuing. Shinichi, still unsure, gently ended their kiss and looked directly into her eyes.

"Ran..? Do... do you want to..?" whispered Shinichi very sweetly, his fiery cheeks making his appearance all the more attractive to Ran.

She simply smiled, her cheeks gaining a beautiful blush on them as well. Nevertheless, with much decision, she cupped his face and brought it down to her neck. In a very sensual voice, she whispered into his ear a simple "Yes..." and as soon as she did, she knew that no more words were needed to encourage him.

* * *

Further Information:

1. Jodie knows about the Black Organization's fall because, along with Shinichi and the others, she had a role in the operation to bring the men in black down. So in other words, she helped Shinichi in the case and that's why she knew what happened, while Ran, for example, didn't.

* * *

Author's Notes:

HOOOTT!!!! Well.. so there you have it!! That was my first fic. I hope it wasn't too bad, still, I am SO glad I got it off my chest...

That idea, along with 50 other ones, had been bugging me for the longest time... ó.oU

Now, I'm not exactly TOO familiar with the "procedure" of Valentine's Day in Japan... I wrote this story from the things I've heard so far, but honestly, aside from knowing the 2 different types of chocolate and the receiver's reaction of: accepting the chocolate, accepting the chocolate and consuming it, or not accepting it at all, I'm not furtherly informed on the topic. If I wrote anything wrongly, or if you know anything else about the Japanese ways of celebrating this day, or any other day as a matter of fact, I'd love for you to let me know! Nothing's better than learning new things... n.n

For those of you lemon-lovers out there, I'm really sorry that I left the sexual part out... I can't write that stuff yet though! It's too much for little me to handle! #o.o#

Anyways.. I'd love to hear your opinion on this story! And I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day, like those two!

Ja ne!!! n.n


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